Chris Cusack
@fearfuljoycuit.bsky.social
Reader | writer | teacher. Been there, done that, got the T. rex.🦖 Researching death, famine, and apocalypse. Irish Studies and beyond. Reviews books. Also writing about Moomins, because why not. Asst Prof at Radboud University, NL. He/him
Pinned
Chris Cusack
@fearfuljoycuit.bsky.social
· Nov 25
In addition to my academic work, I dabble as a critic (@thetls.bsky.social, @irishtimes.bsky.social, Poetry Review, @poetrylondon.bsky.social etc.) and writer (Poetry Ireland, Banshee, @abridgedmagazine.bsky.social, Honest Ulsterman, @manchesterreview.bsky.social etc.). Might one day finish a book.
I desperately want this article to finish writing itself.
December 22, 2025 at 6:06 PM
I desperately want this article to finish writing itself.
Reposted by Chris Cusack
Calling all scholars of death in the Irish diaspora!
Chris Cusack & I are co-editing a special issue of Éire-Ireland @eire_ire on Death and the Irish Diaspora. Abstracts due 31 October (it seemed fitting) w/ final papers expected 1 May 2025. Full CfP 👇
eire-ireland.org/index.php/ei...
Chris Cusack & I are co-editing a special issue of Éire-Ireland @eire_ire on Death and the Irish Diaspora. Abstracts due 31 October (it seemed fitting) w/ final papers expected 1 May 2025. Full CfP 👇
eire-ireland.org/index.php/ei...
Hocus Pocus GIF
ALT: Hocus Pocus GIF
media.tenor.com
October 21, 2024 at 9:02 PM
Calling all scholars of death in the Irish diaspora!
Chris Cusack & I are co-editing a special issue of Éire-Ireland @eire_ire on Death and the Irish Diaspora. Abstracts due 31 October (it seemed fitting) w/ final papers expected 1 May 2025. Full CfP 👇
eire-ireland.org/index.php/ei...
Chris Cusack & I are co-editing a special issue of Éire-Ireland @eire_ire on Death and the Irish Diaspora. Abstracts due 31 October (it seemed fitting) w/ final papers expected 1 May 2025. Full CfP 👇
eire-ireland.org/index.php/ei...
Have returned for however long it may last for some light lurking and book promo.
December 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Have returned for however long it may last for some light lurking and book promo.
In this week’s TLS: my review of @janjancl.bsky.social’s very interesting Immigration and Apocalypse (which I filed absolute ages ago). www.the-tls.com/religion/rel...
The gates and the wall
Religion continues to shape American politics. Evangelicalism has had a decisive influence on Donald Trump’s political trajectory, while apocalypticism – the belief in the imminent ending of the world...
www.the-tls.com
July 16, 2025 at 10:45 AM
In this week’s TLS: my review of @janjancl.bsky.social’s very interesting Immigration and Apocalypse (which I filed absolute ages ago). www.the-tls.com/religion/rel...
Read two collections from Tommy Pico’s Teebs tetralogy over the past month. Amazing.
July 15, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Read two collections from Tommy Pico’s Teebs tetralogy over the past month. Amazing.
Reposted by Chris Cusack
Made myself a new friend.
May 29, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Made myself a new friend.
Hiding from the world in a cabin somewhere. Have finished five books since I arrived two days ago. I could get used to this.
July 15, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Hiding from the world in a cabin somewhere. Have finished five books since I arrived two days ago. I could get used to this.
Received an extremely thoughtful and superbly executed homemade gift from a student this week. The world is burning and like many other teachers I often wonder why we still bother, but this is the kind of thing that reminds me it’s all worthwhile.
June 7, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Received an extremely thoughtful and superbly executed homemade gift from a student this week. The world is burning and like many other teachers I often wonder why we still bother, but this is the kind of thing that reminds me it’s all worthwhile.
Reposted by Chris Cusack
The single most infuriating thing about Office is that it resets your settings with every. fucking. update. No, Word, I do not EVER want you to auto-“correct” things as I type, particularly given the fact that half the time you don’t even recognise what language I’m working in.
June 3, 2025 at 7:09 AM
The single most infuriating thing about Office is that it resets your settings with every. fucking. update. No, Word, I do not EVER want you to auto-“correct” things as I type, particularly given the fact that half the time you don’t even recognise what language I’m working in.
A lovely thunderstorm, and the pitter-patter of much-needed rain!
May 31, 2025 at 10:45 PM
A lovely thunderstorm, and the pitter-patter of much-needed rain!
Reposted by Chris Cusack
If students are allowed or enabled or encouraged to compose text using AI, they will not learn to compose text. It’s that simple. All of the rest is waffle and bullshit propagated by philistine con artists and swallowed by craven PMC cadres
May 31, 2025 at 8:53 PM
If students are allowed or enabled or encouraged to compose text using AI, they will not learn to compose text. It’s that simple. All of the rest is waffle and bullshit propagated by philistine con artists and swallowed by craven PMC cadres
Reposted by Chris Cusack
Again, I cannot express how little I expected someone would usurp my position as "guy who takes ketamine in the company of a president".
May 30, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Again, I cannot express how little I expected someone would usurp my position as "guy who takes ketamine in the company of a president".
Reposted by Chris Cusack
People are always aghast at the “read pre-written paper aloud” format of humanities conferences but man when someone shows up and tries to wing it it’s a real good demonstration of why we do that
May 30, 2025 at 3:50 PM
People are always aghast at the “read pre-written paper aloud” format of humanities conferences but man when someone shows up and tries to wing it it’s a real good demonstration of why we do that
Marina Hyde just doesn’t miss.
May 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Marina Hyde just doesn’t miss.
I stopped eating meat almost a decade ago, but embarrassingly still fantasise about steaks, burgers, and stews. Will it ever end?
May 29, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I stopped eating meat almost a decade ago, but embarrassingly still fantasise about steaks, burgers, and stews. Will it ever end?
Made myself a new friend.
May 29, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Made myself a new friend.
As mentioned here, conditions are certainly much better here in NL, but the downside is that there are far fewer places available, so competition is gruelling, particularly in the humanities. Moreover, as a result of the far right govt’s HE budget cuts the number of positions has started to drop.
May 29, 2025 at 6:52 AM
As mentioned here, conditions are certainly much better here in NL, but the downside is that there are far fewer places available, so competition is gruelling, particularly in the humanities. Moreover, as a result of the far right govt’s HE budget cuts the number of positions has started to drop.
Reposted by Chris Cusack
Aww yes, been looking forward to @griffski.bsky.social’s new novel for years! And thank you to @kennysbookshop.bsky.social for the excellent service, as usual.
May 28, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Aww yes, been looking forward to @griffski.bsky.social’s new novel for years! And thank you to @kennysbookshop.bsky.social for the excellent service, as usual.
Reposted by Chris Cusack
My latest cartoon for New Scientist.
May 17, 2024 at 4:12 PM
My latest cartoon for New Scientist.
Another faculty-wide meeting about budget cuts today. Everything’s fucked, but at least we’ll get a lovely sticker on our balance sheet. 🥰
May 22, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Another faculty-wide meeting about budget cuts today. Everything’s fucked, but at least we’ll get a lovely sticker on our balance sheet. 🥰
This, absolutely.
Success in academia often has more to do with luck, patronage and the job market than “hard work”.
Good academics acknowledge this.
I worked hard, but I was in the right place at the right time on occasion. Historians far more talented than I have fallen between the cracks.
Good academics acknowledge this.
I worked hard, but I was in the right place at the right time on occasion. Historians far more talented than I have fallen between the cracks.
May 21, 2025 at 9:28 PM
This, absolutely.
If I have unlimited access to the full book, why can't I just download it in one go... Academic databases are the worst.
May 20, 2025 at 3:43 PM
If I have unlimited access to the full book, why can't I just download it in one go... Academic databases are the worst.